I’m Certain We Need Certification

Weddings and Private events are a great way to entertain, inform and celebrate with your family and friends, but when sore well-danced feet wander home at the end of the night your carbon footprint lingers behind larger than before.

A typical British wedding will have “produced one third of a metric tonne of solid waste and 14.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide in just one day.” (source: dothegreenthing) Luckily we have seen a shift in people's attitudes towards the throw-away nature of events.  Eco weddings came in at number five in 2009's list of global nuptial trends (source: the Guardian) and green wedding spending is actually on the rise. Over 70% of engaged couples are “seeking green alternatives” say the Green Wedding Professionals. According to Pinterest, searches for sustainable wedding ideas are up 181 per cent this year as couples look for ways of reducing the environmental impact of their big day.

As far as I know there's only one global green wedding self-certification programme, from the Live Green, Live Smart Institute (livegreenlivesmart.org) in the US.  So without certification, at this point in time how can you confidently say your wedding is actually eco-friendly? How do you know if you have ticked all the right boxes?  

What we do have is loads of guidelines many of them within the ISO 20121.  Not to mention the hundreds of individual sites and blogs which give tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Particular favourite tips include:

• Venue: Ask the questions about recycling, conserving water, using renewable energy.
• Gift list: Try one of the new green lists to furnish your nest with fair trade and eco-friendly items. Emily Mathieson, founder of the online homeware company Aerende, has launched what she believes is the first sustainable and ‘conscious’ gift list in the UK. It’s products are all made in the UK, from carefully sourced natural materials, and sent in plastic-free, fully compostable packaging – but it’s not just about making eco choices. Her company also operates as a social enterprise, and employs individual makers who struggle to find conventional employment, whether because they have physical disabilities or mental-health illnesses, or are prisoners, refugees or survivors of human trafficking.
• Stay seasonal: It’s a simple tip but find inspiration from the changing seasons and what naturally occurs at this point in time, for example, use sustainably sourced, locally grown flowers.

I’ll keep sharing these tips because until proper rules and regulations are put in place within private events we, at Marble, will keep looking at ways in which to help reduce our carbon footprint.  Our warehouse, for example, stores props to hire and re-use, to ensure they get the longest life possible. “At Marble LDN we are always pushing to recycle and reuse, where possible, rather than use once and throw away” says Marble LDNs CLO Darren in his article ‘Don’t waste your waste’ “ 

So even if your wedding is never going to be completely sustainable do shout about it, this in the short term will give others inspiration, and will keep encouraging governing bodies to put regulations in place to help guide and accredit the truly sustainable events. Make greener practice the standard. In the meantime...go on @Princess Eugenie tell us what did you to make your wedding “plastic free”....?

By 2020, Marble LDN will send no waste to landfill and will be on its way to being carbon neutral.